Corporate services director Paul Chamberlain said about 180 mental health staff and 220 intellectual disability Pact workers would receive about $4 extra an hour from July 1.
Intellectual disability support workers are covered by the historic $2billion equal pay settlement agreed by the Government.
Nationally, 22,000 aged residential caregivers, 24,000 home and community support workers, and 9000 community residential support workers will be paid between $19 and $23 per hour. The top rate would increase to $27 per hour in 2021.
Mr Chamberlain said he extended the increase to mental health workers because it was the "right thing to do".
Also, a pay disparity made mental health roles less attractive.
Mr Chamberlain told Southern District Health Board he was passing on the increase to all staff.As it is voluntary, the board is under no obligation to increase Pact’s funding.
"We certainly alerted the DHB to the issues we will face with increased costs and we will be entering into discussions as we do on an ongoing basis about what they pay us for the services we deliver.
"Currently they are pretty occupied with dealing with the settlement as it is, and so they have acknowledged our concerns and agreed to discuss them with us at an appropriate time.
"They are busily trying to deal with rest-homes and other services that are captured by the original agreement," Mr Chamberlain said.
This week two unions, the Public Service Association and Etu, lodged an equal pay claim on behalf of community mental health workers with the Employment Relations Authority.
Their aim is to secure a similar pay settlement for mental health workers as received by other support workers.
"It’s completely unfair that mental health support workers receive unequal pay and are undervalued just because we work in a traditionally female-dominated industry," PSA mental health committee member Pollyanna Alo said.
